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Grease soaked brakes, Will Lippert reimburse me?

73guna
Explorer
Explorer
In preparation for an upcoming trip I pulled the drum brakes and found all seals leaking and two of the drum brake assemblies completely soaked with grease.
Ive read up on Lippert axles and am aware of the issues people are having.
Im not going to take it anywhere to get repairs completed because I feel its a safety issue to drive this on the street, but will be making the repair myself,
I sent a formal email LCI requesting them to pay for parts associated with repair and am waiting for a reply.
What are the odds they will help me out on this?
2007 Chevy Silverado Crewcab Duramax.
2016 Wildwood 31qbts.
33 REPLIES 33

goducks10
Explorer
Explorer
minnow wrote:
Lippert has been replacing axle components on Grand Design RV's at no charge for about a year now due to leaking grease seals. Ypu can contact Emily Stahley at Lippert at 574-537-8900 or customerservice@lci1.com.
LCI has sent parts to owners who want to do their own work or will work with a local dealer/repair shop to replace the brake drums and seals.


x2. Lippert knows they have a problem.

73guna
Explorer
Explorer
Does anyone have recommendations on quality replacement seals or are the factory seals ok as long as they are not over greased?
2007 Chevy Silverado Crewcab Duramax.
2016 Wildwood 31qbts.

traveylin
Explorer
Explorer
Living on the coast, having some lubrication spread to the brakes is considered a good thing as it inhibits rotor rusting. I will coat the brake assembly with a heavy motor oil on my 8000 lb boat trailer several time a year. My 2011 Sienna has had two brake jobs in 6 years due to prevailing windward side rotor rust. The lubricant will evaporate quickly after 3-4 brake applications similar to what old style drums did after running in axle deep water and needed to be dryed

73guna
Explorer
Explorer
jfkmk wrote:
You didn't mention if these are ez-lube or not, but I'm guessing (and everyone is aszuming) they are. If so, the scenario probably is that they wereover-greased.

No matter what, replace at least the shoes and clean the rest. Never attempt to clean that much grease off brake shoes. It will never work, and it could lead to disaster. Good luck!


Yes they are ez lube.
Im expecting nothing from this and will not get my blood pressure up over it. I will express my concerns if denied.:B
My plans are to replace all the seals and two of the four brake shoe assemblies.
Ive already taken pics so I need to gather parts and reassemble as the trailer is on jack stands in my driveway, Im on vacation this week, and have been turned in once before by a grumpy neighbor who didnt like my camper in my driveway.
This is a time sensitive repair, so Im hoping to hear back from LCI today and get it repaired today.
2007 Chevy Silverado Crewcab Duramax.
2016 Wildwood 31qbts.

minnow
Explorer
Explorer
Lippert has been replacing axle components on Grand Design RV's at no charge for about a year now due to leaking grease seals. Ypu can contact Emily Stahley at Lippert at 574-537-8900 or customerservice@lci1.com.
LCI has sent parts to owners who want to do their own work or will work with a local dealer/repair shop to replace the brake drums and seals.

mike-s
Explorer
Explorer
westend wrote:
Are Dexter now part of the LCI universe?
No, they're not. No idea what myredracer was talking about. Dexter/Alco (which are both part of Dexko) is a competitor to LCI. Lippert has their own axle business.

jfkmk
Explorer
Explorer
73guna wrote:
USAFBILL wrote:
Could have been done at the dealer when they prepped the unit if the tech used a high pressure grease gun and it was his last day of employment..JMO


Is greasing the hubs part of prep?

Absolutely not. They will do as little as possible to prep, a d there is absolutely no reason to grease the bearings on a new trailer. You didn't mention if these are ez-lube or not, but I'm guessing (and everyone is aszuming) they are. If so, the scenario probably is that they wereover-greased.

No matter what, replace at least the shoes and clean the rest. Never attempt to clean that much grease off brake shoes. It will never work, and it could lead to disaster. Good luck!

leggy
Explorer
Explorer
I remember last fall reading posts about people getting this done at dealership and lippert was handling it. I noticed my one wheel on my 2015 Grand design reflection had some residue on one rim. Took it to dealer for some other issues to handle before warranty ran out and asked if they would look at it. They replaced all 4 seals and brakes covered by Lippert.

westend
Explorer
Explorer
Are Dexter now part of the LCI universe? (may not be applicable)

If it was me, I'd replace the seals and shoes and call it a day. My blood pressure is worth more than fighting a warranty enforcement.
'03 F-250 4x4 CC
'71 Starcraft Wanderstar -- The Cowboy/Hilton

spoon059
Explorer II
Explorer II
A 2016, I would imagine you can make a claim either with your dealer or directly with Lippert. As long as YOU weren't the guy cranking grease into the Bearing Buddies (or whatever they call them on RV's) then I think you have a legitimate complaint. On the other hand, if you pumped grease into them, you are on your own.

The other option, as mentioned, (and only if all else fails) is to hit EVERYTHING there with some powerful degreaser and rinse it, cleaning all that grease off.

Good luck, keep us updated.
2015 Ram CTD
2015 Jayco 29QBS

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
USAFBILL wrote:
Could have been done at the dealer when they prepped the unit if the tech used a high pressure grease gun and it was his last day of employment..JMO


Agree. Not as uncommon as one might think. Happened to us on our current TT and a previous TT too. Dealer wanted to charge us $1K to fix our current KZ Spree!! They kept insisting it wasn't a warranty problem so I phoned Alko and they said they would make sure it would get covered and they want the dealer's phone number which I gave them. I learned the end of following season that they just slapped ours back together as-is. Our blown seals were nowhere as bad as that. Wow. There's no way it should be like that in a year or less.

I doubt Lippert would accept responsibilty and would pass you on to Dexter or Dexco or whatever they call themselves now after Dexter bought Alko a couple of years ago. If it is was Lippert's fault, they typically use excuses to avoid liability. BTDT. You need to get in touch with the axle manufacturer (look at tag on axle). Do not wait for an email reply. Get on the phone and call as many times as needed until you get to talk to someone in the know. It's really sad that the dealers, manufacturer and frame builder pass an owner onto a 3rd (4th?) party like they do for you to duke it out with. If you are sending an email to Lippert, I'd also be sending a copy to the TT manufacturer, dealer and axle manufacturer along with photos.

Now for the warning... If they do happen to agree to fix it, even if the dealer says they fixed it, do not believe them. Pull the drums off when you get it back home and verify they fixed it, and fixed it properly. If they did nothing or only did 1/2 a job, then it'd be fraud. We were thinking of going after our dealer legally but it just wasn't worth the aggravation and cost. I would notify the factory and the dealer in writing.

Before you take it apart, take lots of photos. If you find different types of grease, keep one of the bearings or something with both on it. Are there 2 colors/types of grease by any chance? That's a sign that that "somebody" pumped grease in after it left the factory, plus the fact that there's sooo much in there. The somebody could only be the dealer. Our dealer told me that they do that on all their PDIs.

It's not really all that hard or expensive to do a bearing repack, replace the seals and replace the brake shoes. I would consider posting on a forum specific to the brand and on RV forums what happened as a warning to others plus the manufacturer probably won't like that.

We went through 3 TTs in 3 years. The same issue of blown seals and grease everywhere inside also happened on our first TT. The dealer kept insisting it was our b/c. After one full year they finally reluctantly agreed to take the brakes apart and rebuild them under warranty and it was finally okay.

73guna
Explorer
Explorer
I heard that was part on the problem, over greasing and or cheap seals.
2007 Chevy Silverado Crewcab Duramax.
2016 Wildwood 31qbts.

cyntdon2010
Explorer
Explorer
73 guna - you can learn from "my MISTAKE ". I greased my Wheel bearing with a grease gun and pumped to much in. months later I had the same issue as you.
Went to a trailer supply shop. they told me and easy fix. spray Brake cleaner and clean it with paper towels. he showed me how to inspect the seals and replace only if needed. each seal cost five dollars each.
I only had one wheel that I Blew out...
Good luck camper
2010 lacrosse T.T 318 bhs 34 ft,blue ox-tow bar,2005 FORD F-150 larait super crew,Firestone ready rite-air bags lift kit

73guna
Explorer
Explorer
USAFBILL wrote:
Could have been done at the dealer when they prepped the unit if the tech used a high pressure grease gun and it was his last day of employment..JMO


Is greasing the hubs part of prep?
2007 Chevy Silverado Crewcab Duramax.
2016 Wildwood 31qbts.

73guna
Explorer
Explorer
The two on the drivers side were just seeping a bit, I didnt think anything of it, just thought maybe some residual from factory.
Cleaned the inside of the drum and inspected seal reinstalled and adjusted brakes.
Got to the right rear and it got pretty nasty. I wiped the grease off the brake assembly and then decided to check the right front and it looked same as the rear, so I let it be, contacted Lippert and now Im just waiting for a reply.
They did send me a case number and said someone will be contacting me within 24hrs.
The email I sent was not rude or disrespectful. I kept it short and on point only asking for parts reimbursement.

Honestly I think four seals and two brake shoe assemblies is the cheap way out for them.
2007 Chevy Silverado Crewcab Duramax.
2016 Wildwood 31qbts.